15 Now-You-Know Facts That Jacked Up Our Brains
![15 Now-You-Know Facts That Jacked Up Our Brains](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/7/9/835579_320x180.jpg)
"It is a well-known fact that the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter is π, so let us consider the question as to why we should believe in Pi as being anything more than 3.14. This question is based on one of the earliest recorded philosophical arguments known as Plato’s Euthyphro. It is the first recorded instance where one man asks another to prove a proposition by reason. Socrates and the Sophists used this form of reasoning as the basis of much of their teachings.
The Sophists were teachers and philosophers of Greek antiquity who taught that people are not born with certain ideas about reality but learn the correct way of thinking by following the path of rational debate (see The Socratic method). The Sophist philosophy was considered an extension of Plato's ideal republic, and Socrates' goal was to train men for positions of government. The Sophists did not believe that knowledge and wisdom were absolute or unchangeable, and so it made no sense to argue in this way when seeking to persuade an opponent."
... And that, very roughly, is what the 1897 discussion of the value of pi in the Indiana state legislature probably sounded like. Read on:
“Cutie 3.2” doesn’t have the same ring.
![Indiana state legislators tried to pass a bill that would have legally redefined pi as 3.2. S719478 4615157 49972524 LIMITED 599720 - 88952521385 273905 6481 560285 451096596094 2515076 550363456817 8249385 71490967598 928680920874 454285844 3515237 4775551323 99344037420 952484937 4576540 5806749192781 84610053 07186494231961 95618 26912397 218256259966150 the 06979202 33173464 514539 34088190 A57700 197120629 06095753 32157919 BB209144 a 3539657251 98985995 6515 976576183515 CRACKED.COM In 1897, A Bill for an act introducing a new mathematical truth was introduced to square that circle once and for all.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/3/835583.jpg)
Aretha Franklin is a force of nature in Michigan.
![In 1985, Aretha Franklin's voice was declared a natural resource of Michigan. CRACKED.COM Michigan state's department of natural resources honored the Queen of Soul as part of a celebration paying tribute to her career, which at the time had been going strong for more than two decades.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/7/835587.jpg)
Chinese checkers is not Chinese.
![Chinese checkers was invented in Germany. CRACKED.COM Chinese chess did indeed originate from its namesake, but Chinese checkers was invented in Germany in 1892, first called Hop Ching Checkers.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/5/835585.jpg)
Sarcasm is good for your brain, suuuure.
![Sarcasm can promote creative thinking. CRACKED.COM Sarcasm involves constructing or exposing contradictions between intended meanings. The use of sarcasm appears to promote creativity for those on both the giving and receiving end of the exchange.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/2/835582.jpg)
There are small traces of gold in the food chain.
![Your hair contains traces of gold. CRACKED.COM Babies under three months have gold in their hair passed on from their mother's breast milk and can reach double the average concentration of gold in Earth's crust.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/4/835584.jpg)
AOL and combat disks, two ancient forms of tech that went great together.
![In the '90s, half of all CDs worldwide were for AOL. PROGRAM .... Week the - Via - and RO TS as LA By the NEW have A Fyo Enter Fregary Sears we km Pier spr Online was رجم point THE For All of the AOL CDs produced in the 1990s, which gifted hours CRACKED.COM of home internet use, took the company from 200,000 subscribers to 25 million.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/6/835586.jpg)
The “Una” in “Unabomber” actually means something.
![Unabomber was an acronym for Universities, Airlines, and... Bomber. 5 5.0 GRAGKED.COM The FBI called Ted Kaczynski The Unabomber because his early mail bombs were sent to universities (UN) and airlines (A). Kaczynski was arrested in his small cabin near Lincoln, Montana, in 1996.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/1/835591.jpg)
One man in 945 had the worst, and best, luck in the world.
![A man lived through both atomic bomb droppings in Japan. CRACKED.COM Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima for work when the first A-bomb hit, made it home to Nagasaki for the second, and lived to be 93.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/3/835593.jpg)
Turkey had a library full of books saved from landfills.
![There's a library in Turkey filled with books rescued from landfills. LIGHTON MIFFLIN&CO ONGELLLOWS POEMSA au LSON ALOE CRACKED.COM Haurited Room Founded after sanitation workers started collecting discarded books, the library now has over 6,000 books ranging from literature to nonfiction.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/8/835588.jpg)
The Eiffel Tower leans away from the sun.
![The Eiffel Tower leans slightly toward the shade on sunny days. CRACKED COM Thanks to thermal expansion, the Eiffel Tower can grow up to six inches taller on warm, sunny days, leaning away from the sunny side towards the shade.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/2/835592.jpg)
A background character in Star Wars is holding an ice cream maker.
![In The Empire Strikes Back, an extra can be seen running with an ice cream maker. CRACKED.COM The character became legendary among fans, and was eventually given a name (Willrow Hood) and a backstory. In The Mandalorian, the device was retconned to be a safe.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/9/835589.jpg)
PEZ comes from a German word.
![The word PEZ comes from Pfefferminz, the German word for peppermint. CRACKED.COM The first PEZ candies, called PEZ Drops, were marketed as a luxury item for adults. Advertisements touted health benefits and showed couples about to kiss with the caption, Deliciously fresh breath!](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/0/835590.jpg)
Dr. Seuss was not liked in China.
![Green Eggs and Ham was banned in Chinafor its portrayal of early Marxism. CRACKED.COM Implemented by the Maoist government, the Chinese government never elaborated on the reasons behind the ban, and it was lifted in 1991.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/0/835580.jpg)
Do not wear Pepsi colors on Coke day.
![A student was suspended for wearing a Pepsi shirt on Coke in Education Day. CRACKED.COM رد flavors si During an event school officials in Georgia crafted in an attempt to win a $500 contest run by Соса-Соӏа, high school senior Mike Cameron wore a Pepsi shirt and won himself a one-day suspension.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/1/835581.jpg)
Most cultures don’t like to swap spit.
![According to a 2015 study, less than half the world's cultures kiss romantically. CRACKED.COM Most of the world's cultures do not kiss romantically.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/4/835594.jpg)